M'sians stuck in jam for over 1 hour honk repeatedly as roads closed for Xi Jinping's motorcade

Chinese president Xi Jinping arrived in Malaysia’s capital on Apr. 15, his second stop on a three-nation tour in Southeast Asia from Apr. 14 to 18, 2025.

Malaysia prime minister Anwar Ibrahim received Xi on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6:30pm.

To accommodate the Chinese leader's motorcade, the highway near the Bandar Saujana Putra town was closed for more than one hour during rush hour on Tuesday evening.

This caused motorists caught in the jam to honk incessantly, according to Sin Chew Daily, which reported on the situation caught on video by a resident near the highway.

Xi arrived amid tight security in and around the city, The Straits Times reported.

The road closures were announced beforehand by Malaysia police, who reminded the public to take alternative routes.

The livestream video showed the motorists honking as they were apparently getting impatient about getting stuck in a gridlock that lasted for more than an hour.

The stretch of road where the motorists got stuck was apparently completely closed to traffic.

Police vehicles at the front of the could be seen blocking off all three lanes in one direction.

The build-up of vehicles stretched to almost 2km long.

Responses

In response to the livestream of the jam, many commenters said the road block was necessary to accommodate the visit of a foreign leader who was visiting Malaysia.

Others said they commiserated with the motorists and reminded them that the congestion was only a temporary inconvenience.

About Malaysia visit

This is Xi's second visit to Malaysia since he took office in 2013.

Anwar visited Beijing in November 2024.

Xi was in Vietnam and will be going to Cambodia next.

Before he arrived in Malaysia, Xi pledged to “harness the momentum of collaboration at the multilateral level” between the two countries.

Xi said: “We must uphold the United Nations-centred international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and promote fairer and more equitable global governance."

“We must uphold the multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and maintain an international environment of openness and cooperation,” he added.

The op-ed was published by three Malaysian news outlets.

“With this visit, I hope to further deepen our traditional friendship, enhance political mutual trust, advance cooperation in modernisation, promote mutual learning between civilisations, and scale new heights in developing the China-Malaysia community with a shared future,” Xi said separately in a statement released in English by the Chinese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Top photos via YehhGoods & China Embassy in Malaysia